JP2003252462A - Automatic paper feeder and recording device having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce back tension acting on recording paper during recording execution when executing the recording on the recording paper, especially photograph paper with a surface having low frictional resistance or the like in an automatic paper feeder having a separating auxiliary roller. <P>SOLUTION: In recording paper PP, bending force acts on a part where a separating auxiliary roller 711 abuts on a recording face of the recording paper PP with the angle θ formed between a face 72a of a hopper 72 for stacking the recording paper P and a recording paper conveying path 53a. Against the bending force, reaction force with which the recording paper PP returns to an original straight condition acts on the separating auxiliary roller 711 abutting on the recording face of the recording paper PP to push up the separating auxiliary roller in the direction indicated with an arrow C. The separating auxiliary roller 711 is pushed up to a position to retreat in a direction indicated with the arrow C by the reaction force of the recording paper PP, and the recording paper PP and the separation pad 73 are separated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic paper feeding device for automatically feeding recording paper stacked on a paper feeding tray or the like one by one, and a recording device provided with the automatic paper feeding device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device such as an ink jet recording device is provided with a recording paper feeding means for feeding a recording paper fed by an automatic paper feeding device or the like in a recording execution area by a predetermined feeding amount. Generally, the recording paper is conveyed to a desired recording paper by bringing the recording paper into close contact with a conveyance roller or the like having a high frictional resistance on the peripheral surface and controlling the rotation of the conveyance roller at a rotation amount corresponding to a predetermined conveyance amount. It is carried out. Therefore, in such a recording apparatus, since the conveyance accuracy of the recording sheet conveying means greatly affects the recording image quality, in order to realize high-quality recording on the recording surface of the recording sheet, it is possible to achieve high precision with a predetermined conveying amount. It is usually necessary to transport the recording paper to the paper.

The automatic paper feeding device has a separating mechanism for separating only one stacked recording paper in order to prevent multiple recording papers stacked in a paper feeding tray or the like from being fed in a multiple manner. Is common. As an example of this separation mechanism,
An automatic system including a paper feed roller having a substantially D-shaped cross section for driving and rotating recording paper in the paper feed direction, and a separation pad having a separation surface urged by the paper feed roller. Paper feeding devices are known. Friction resistance of the separation surface of the separation pad,
Due to the magnitude relationship between the frictional resistance of the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the frictional resistance between the overlapping recording papers, only one sheet is separated from the overlapping recording papers and is fed.

Further, when the recording paper after being fed is conveyed through the recording execution area by the recording paper conveying means, if the recording paper is still held between the paper feed roller and the separation pad, The pulling force, that is, the so-called back tension, largely acts on the conveyance direction of, and the conveyance accuracy is greatly reduced. Therefore, when the fed recording paper is conveyed by the recording paper conveying means, the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller having a substantially D-shaped cross section, that is, a non-circular shape, is the separation surface of the separation pad. From the center of rotation, that is, the distance from the center of rotation to the peripheral surface is short, the peripheral surface is rotated to a rotational position where it faces the separation surface of the separation pad, and the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface of the separation pad sandwich it. Cancel the holding condition of the recording paper.

On the other hand, when the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller is separated from the separation pad in this manner, a space is created between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface of the separation pad, and the separation pad is placed in the space. The recording paper that is separated by and remains in the vicinity of the separation pad may enter the paper feed path. When the recording paper enters the space, there is no means for returning the recording paper to the paper feed tray, which may cause a paper jam.

Therefore, in order to prevent such a recording sheet from entering, it is known that a driven roller is added to fill the space. This separates the separation auxiliary roller, which is rotatably driven by the paper feeding roller, with a light biasing force at the rotation position where the circumference of the paper feeding roller is short from the center of rotation to the peripheral surface and faces the separation pad. The pad is disposed in a biased state and closes the space created between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface of the separation pad. The separation assist roller closes the space between the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface of the separation pad, and prevents the recording paper from entering the space, and the recording execution area is fed. For the recording paper being transported,
The separation assist roller is driven to rotate and is urged with a light urging force against the separation surface of the separation pad, reducing the back tension acting on the recording paper during recording to the extent that it does not affect the recording image quality. Can be made.

[0007]

By the way, in recent years, various types of recording papers have appeared, and a wide variety of recording papers other than plain paper have been widely used. And
The surface friction resistance differs depending on the type of recording paper, and some of them have a fairly low surface friction resistance. In such a recording paper, since the frictional resistance of the surface of the recording paper is low, the adhesion of the recording paper to the peripheral surface of the conveyance drive roller having the high friction resistance film is reduced. Slip is likely to occur between the peripheral surface of the sheet and the recording paper.

Therefore, the recording paper conveyed in the recording execution area is conveyed in a state of being sandwiched between the separation surface of the separation pad and the separation auxiliary roller urged by the separation surface of the separation pad with a light urging force. As a result, a small back tension acting on the recording paper lowers the conveyance accuracy and lowers the recording image quality. In other words, with the advent of recording papers having low surface frictional resistance, back tension, which was conventionally negligible, affects the recording image quality and is not negligible.
This tendency is particularly remarkable in photographic paper such as photo paper in which the coating layer is exposed on the surface opposite to the recording surface of the recording paper on which the peripheral surface of the transport drive roller is in close contact, and the low frictional resistance of the coating layer causes , Slip is likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and its problem is to record on a recording sheet such as a photographic sheet having a low surface friction resistance in an automatic sheet feeder having a separation assisting roller. The purpose is to reduce the back tension acting on the recording paper during recording.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is different from a paper feed tray capable of stacking a plurality of recording papers and a distance from a rotation center to a peripheral surface. A paper feed roller having a substantially D-shaped cross-sectional shape and axially supported on the downstream side of the paper feed tray in the paper feed direction so as to be drive-rotatably controlled in the paper feed direction, and arranged at the bottom of the paper feed tray. Is
At the time of the paper feeding operation, the surface of the recording paper to be fed, which is located at the uppermost position of the plurality of recording papers stacked in the paper feeding tray, rises to the position where it abuts against the paper feeding roller, and the paper feeding operation ends. It has a hopper that descends later and a separation surface having a frictional resistance greater than the frictional resistance between the recording sheets, and the separation surface faces the peripheral surface of the paper feeding roller in a state of being biased by the paper feeding roller. At a rotation position of the paper feed roller, which is rotatably supported by a separation pad disposed at a position and the paper feed roller, and has a gap between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface, An automatic feeding device that includes a separation assisting roller that closes a gap between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface while being urged by the separation pad and retractable in a direction away from the separation pad. A paper device, which is in front of a recording paper having a predetermined rigidity When performing recording on the recording surface, depending on the angle of the paper feeding path downstream of the paper feeding roller with respect to the paper feeding tray, the recording paper curved from the paper feeding tray to the paper feeding path is formed. By rigidity,
On the contact surface between the separation assisting roller and the recording paper, a stress exceeding the biasing force of the separation assisting roller in the opposite direction is generated, and the stress separates the separation assisting roller from the separation pad. It is an automatic paper feeding device characterized by having a configuration for retracting in a direction.

As described above, the stress generated by bending the recording paper having a predetermined rigidity is used to retract the separation auxiliary roller to the position where the separation auxiliary roller is separated from the separation pad. The frictional resistance of the separation surface of the separation pad can be set to a state where it hardly acts, and the back tension that acts on the recording paper during recording is almost driven by the rotation of the separation auxiliary roller that is rotatably supported. Only resistance.

Here, the stress means a reaction force generated in the object when the object receives a force from the outside. That is, a force is applied from the outside so as to bend the recording paper, and the reaction force that causes the recording paper to return from the curved state to the straight state pushes up the separation assisting roller with the recording paper and causes the separation assisting roller to move. The holding state of the recording paper with the separation surface of the separation pad is released so that the frictional resistance of the separation surface of the separation pad does not act on the recording paper.

As a result, the automatic paper feeder according to the first aspect of the present invention has the effect that the back tension acting on the recording paper being conveyed can be reduced and the surface friction is reduced. For recording paper with low resistance,
It is possible to reduce the deterioration of the recording image quality caused by the back tension acting on the recording sheet during recording.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the recording paper having the predetermined rigidity has higher rigidity and lower surface frictional resistance than plain paper. It is an automatic paper feeder.

According to the automatic paper feeder of the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the recording paper having high rigidity can change the recording paper due to its high rigidity. Since the stress generated when bending is large,
The separation assist roller can be retracted more reliably.
Further, by reducing the back tension acting on the recording paper during recording by retracting the separation assist roller, a great effect can be obtained particularly on the recording paper having a low surface friction resistance.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the recording paper having the predetermined rigidity has a coat layer on both sides of the base paper, and an ink absorbing layer is formed on the coat layer on the recording surface. An automatic paper feeder characterized in that it is a photo paper that it has.

In general, photographic paper has a coating layer on both sides of a base paper, and an ink absorbing layer is provided only on the recording surface on the coating layer. Therefore, the surface opposite to the recording surface has the coat layer exposed. This coat layer has very low frictional resistance and is easy to slip,
The back tension acts during recording, which tends to affect the recording image quality. Also, photo paper is
It is thicker than plain paper and has high rigidity due to the two coating layers of the recording surface and the surface on the opposite side.

Therefore, according to the automatic sheet feeder of the invention described in claim 3 of the present application, it is possible to reduce the back tension acting on the recording sheet in which recording is being executed according to the invention of claim 2 of the present application. By obtaining the action and effect, it is possible to obtain a greater effect of reducing the deterioration of the recording image quality, particularly when recording is performed on a photographic paper having a low surface friction resistance.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present application is defined by claims 1 to 1.
3 is a recording apparatus including the automatic paper feeding device according to any one of 3 above. According to the recording apparatus of the invention described in claim 4 of the present application, in the recording apparatus, the above-mentioned claims 1 to 3 of the present application.
It is possible to obtain the action and effect of the invention described in any one of 1.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, there is provided a conveyance drive roller which has a high frictional resistance film on its peripheral surface and is rotatably supported in the predetermined recording sheet conveyance direction.
The recording paper fed from the automatic paper feeding device is nipped by a conveyance driven roller that is urged by the conveyance driving roller and rotatably supported by the conveyance driving roller, and recording is performed by driving rotation of the conveyance driving roller. A recording apparatus, comprising: a recording paper conveyance unit that conveys the recording paper in the execution area in the recording paper conveyance direction by a predetermined conveyance amount.

As described above, in the recording apparatus having the recording paper conveying means for nipping the recording paper between the conveyance driving roller and the conveyance driven roller and conveying the recording paper in the conveying direction by the rotational driving force of the conveyance driving roller. There is a risk that the recording image quality will deteriorate due to the occurrence of slippage between the peripheral surface of the transport drive roller having the high friction resistance coating and the surface of the recording paper. Therefore, the back tension acting on the recording paper during recording can be reduced by the effect of the invention according to claim 4 of the present application, so that the back tension causes the peripheral surface of the transport drive roller and the surface of the recording paper to be reduced. It is possible to reduce the slip that occurs during the period.

Thus, according to the recording apparatus of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the recording paper is nipped by the conveyance drive roller and the conveyance driven roller, and the recording paper is conveyed by the rotational driving force of the conveyance drive roller. In the recording apparatus provided with the recording paper conveying means for conveying in the direction, the effect of the invention according to claim 4 of the present application is that the back tension acting on the recording paper during recording can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk that the recording quality is deteriorated due to the back tension.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described. Figure 1
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part.

In the ink jet type recording apparatus 50, a carriage guide shaft 61 and a carriage guide shaft 61 are provided as recording executing means for executing recording by ejecting ink onto the recording surface of the recording paper P while reciprocating in the main scanning direction X. A carriage 62 is provided that is supported by the sub-carriage guide shaft 61S so as to reciprocate in the main scanning direction X. In the carriage 62,
A recording head 63 that ejects ink onto the recording paper P is mounted. A platen 53 that faces the recording head 63 and defines the distance between the head surface of the recording head 63 and the recording paper P is provided. Then, an operation of ejecting ink from the head surface of the recording head 63 onto the recording paper P while reciprocating the carriage 62 in the main scanning direction X, and an operation of conveying the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction Y by a predetermined amount. Recording is performed on the recording paper P by repeating the above.

The platen 53 is attached to the carriage 62.
A recording paper detection sensor 64 capable of detecting the upper recording paper P is mounted at a position facing the recording surface of the recording paper P. The recording paper detection sensor 64 is disposed on the upstream side of the recording head 63 in the sub-scanning direction Y, and moves the carriage 62 in the main scanning direction X.
It is a sensor that can detect the recording paper P on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction Y from the recording execution area of the recording head 63 when reciprocating. The recording paper detection sensor 64 has a light emitting portion made of a light emitting diode and a light receiving portion made of a phototransistor. Light emitted from the light emitting portion is reflected by the recording paper P or the platen 53 to be detected and reflected. Is a reflection-type photo interrupter having a configuration in which the light receiving unit receives light and the output voltage changes according to the amount of light received.

Further, the ink jet type recording apparatus 50 is
The “automatic sheet feeder” according to the present invention is a sheet feed tray 70 that can stack a large number of recording sheets P, and a sheet feed roller 71 that is arranged on the downstream side of the sheet feed tray 70 in the sub scanning direction Y.
And a hopper 72 and a separation pad 73 arranged on the paper feed tray 70. The recording papers P stacked on the paper feed tray 70 are fed to the paper feed roller 7 by the hopper 72.
Only the uppermost recording paper P of the recording papers P stacked on the paper feed tray 70 is separated due to the driving rotation of the paper feed roller 71 in the paper feed direction and the frictional resistance of the separation pad 73 when the recording paper P is pressed against 1. Is automatically fed.

Further, the ink jet type recording apparatus 50 is provided with a conveyance driving roller 51 and a conveyance driven roller 52 for intermittently conveying the recording paper P automatically fed by the automatic paper feeding device in the sub scanning direction Y. Has been done. The conveyance driving roller 51 is rotationally controlled by the rotation driving force source, and the recording driving paper 51 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the conveyance driving roller 51. A plurality of transport driven rollers 52 are provided, and each of them is biased by the transport drive roller 51, and the recording paper P
When the recording paper P is conveyed by the rotation of the conveyance drive roller 51, the recording paper P is rotated while being in contact with the recording paper P by its urging force.

Further, in the ink jet type recording apparatus 50, the paper discharge drive roller 5 for discharging the recording paper P after recording is executed.
4 and a paper discharge driven roller 55 are arranged. The paper ejection drive roller 54 is rotationally controlled by a rotational drive force source, and the recording paper P after recording is ejected in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the paper ejection drive roller 54. The paper discharge driven roller 55 is a toothed roller that has a plurality of teeth around it and is sharply sharpened so that the tips of the teeth make point contact with the recording surface of the recording paper P. The paper discharge driven rollers 55 are individually biased by the paper discharge drive rollers 54 with a biasing force weaker than the biasing force of the transport driven rollers 52, and the recording paper P is discharged by the rotation of the paper discharge drive rollers 54. When the recording paper P is discharged, the recording paper P is rotated while being in contact with the recording paper P by its urging force. Then, the recording paper P after recording is discharged to the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction Y by the paper discharge drive roller 54 and the paper discharge driven roller 55. On the downstream side of the paper ejection drive roller 54 and the paper ejection driven roller 55, a paper ejection tray 81 for ejecting the recording paper P on which recording has been performed is arranged.

Next, the "automatic sheet feeder" according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the vicinity of the automatic paper feeder of the inkjet recording apparatus 50 according to the present invention.

The peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 71 and the separation pad 73
At the rotational position of the sheet feeding roller 71 where a gap is formed between the separation assisting roller and the separation surface, the separation assisting roller is biased toward the separation pad 73 (in the direction indicated by the symbol A) by the coil spring 712 contracted. 711 is arranged on the paper feed roller 71. The separation assisting roller 711 is rotatably supported so as to be driven and rotatable, and the recording execution area is conveyed to the conveyance driving roller 51.
Then, the recording paper P, which is nipped by the conveyance driven roller 52 and conveyed, is driven to rotate in the conveyance direction (rotational direction indicated by reference numeral B). Further, the separation assist roller 711 is separated from the separation pad 73 in the direction (direction indicated by reference sign C).
When a force larger than the biasing force of the coil spring 712 is applied to the, the coil spring 712 is retractable in that direction.

At the rotational position of the paper feed roller 71 where a gap is formed between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 71 and the separation pad 73, the gap is blocked by the separation auxiliary roller 711, and the fed recording is carried out. The other recording paper P dragged by the paper P is prevented from entering the paper feed path. Further, the biasing force of the coiling spring 712 in the direction indicated by the symbol A of the separation assisting roller is about 60 g in this embodiment, and the recording paper P having low rigidity such as plain paper is separated from the separation pad 73. It is preferable that the biasing force is so weak that it can be pressed against the surface. As a result, the back tension acting on the recording paper P by the separation assisting roller 711 and the separation pad 73 can be minimized while closing the gap between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 71 and the separation pad 73.

The "automatic sheet feeder" according to the present invention
A constant angle θ is formed between the surface 72a of the hopper 72 on which the recording papers P are stacked and the recording paper transport path 53a. When the recording paper P is fed and conveyed through the recording paper conveyance path 53a, a certain bending force acts on the recording paper P due to this angle θ, and the recording paper P is curved.

Next, in the "automatic paper feeder" according to the present invention, a case where a recording paper P having low rigidity such as plain paper is fed to execute recording and a case where the rigidity is high and the surface friction resistance is low The case of feeding paper and executing recording will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of an essential portion of the vicinity of the automatic paper feeder of the ink jet type recording apparatus 50 according to the present invention, in which a recording paper P having low rigidity such as plain paper is fed. It shows a state in which recording is being performed.

The recording paper P has a separation assist roller 711 and a separation pad 73 depending on an angle θ between the surface 72a of the hopper 72 on which the recording papers P are stacked and the recording paper conveyance path 53a.
A bending force acts on the portion sandwiched between and to bend.
Since the recording paper P is plain paper and has low rigidity and softness, the stress against the bending force is small. Therefore, the recording paper P
Is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y in a curved state as shown in the drawing, and back tension due to frictional resistance of the separation surface of the separation pad 73 acts on the portion sandwiched by the separation auxiliary roller 711 and the separation pad 73. To do.

As described above, the coil spring 712 urging the separation assisting roller 711 against the separation pad 73.
The load is about 60 g, which is small. The recording paper P is plain paper, and the surface of the recording paper P has some frictional resistance. Therefore, when the recording paper P is nipped by the transport driving roller 51 and the transport driven roller 52, the transport driving roller 5
The frictional resistance of the high frictional resistance film applied to the surface of 1,
Due to the frictional resistance of the surface of the recording paper P, the recording paper P is reliably conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y without being affected by some back tension.

Photo paper and its problems will be described. As described above, in general, photographic paper is provided with a coat layer on both sides of a base paper which is thicker than plain paper, and an ink absorbing layer is provided on the coat layer on the recording surface side. Photographic paper having such a structure generally has high rigidity, and the surface opposite to the recording surface has a coating layer with low frictional resistance exposed, so that the surface is easily slippery. have. Further, due to the structure in which the coating layer and the ink absorbing layer are provided on the thick base paper, it has a certain weight.

In the state where the photographic paper is sandwiched between the transport driving roller 51 and the transport driven roller 52, the peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 51 having a high friction resistance coating and the coat layer having a small friction resistance are exposed. The recording surface is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y while being in contact with the opposite surface. Therefore, the gripping force of the photographic paper by the transport driving roller 51 and the transport driven roller 52 becomes smaller than that of plain paper. Therefore, the contact surface between the peripheral surface of the conveyance driving roller 51 and the photo paper is in a slippery state, and since the photo paper is heavier than the plain paper, the photo paper is conveyed in a state in which it is easily affected by back tension. It will be.

Therefore, the photographic paper being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y is nipped by the separation auxiliary roller 711 and the separation pad 73, and the back tension due to the frictional resistance of the separation surface of the separation pad 73 acts to convey the photographic paper. The conveyance force of the roller 51 is not sufficiently transmitted, and the conveyance drive roller 51
Slippage occurs on the contact surface between the peripheral surface of the and the photo paper,
The transport accuracy is reduced, and the recording image quality is degraded.

In order to prevent the deterioration of the recording image quality caused by the properties of the photographic paper, the ink jet type recording apparatus 50 shown in the present embodiment has the recording papers P of the hopper 72 stacked as described above. A constant angle θ is formed between the surface 72a and the recording paper conveyance path 53a. Next, a mechanism for reducing the back tension when the photographic paper is conveyed by the angle θ will be described.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of an essential part of the vicinity of the automatic paper feeder of the ink jet type recording apparatus 50 according to the present invention, which feeds photographic paper having high rigidity and low surface friction resistance. 2 shows a state in which recording is being performed.

The recording paper PP is the above-mentioned photographic paper.
In the recording paper PP, the separation assisting roller 711 causes the recording paper PP to move by the angle θ formed between the surface 72a of the hopper 72 on which the recording papers P are stacked and the recording paper conveyance path 53a.
The bending force acts on the portion of the recording medium that is in contact with the recording surface to bend the recording surface. Since the recording paper PP is a photographic paper and has a high rigidity, the stress generated in the recording paper PP when it is bent by its bending force, that is, the surface 7 of the hopper 72 on which the recording paper P is stacked.
The reaction force for returning from the curved state to the original straight state by the bending force due to the angle θ formed between 2a and the recording paper conveyance path 53a is large.

The reaction force to return the recording paper PP to its original straight state is such that the recording paper PP returns to its original straight state with respect to the separation auxiliary roller 711 that is in contact with the recording surface of the recording paper PP. The separation assist roller 711 is pushed up in the attempting direction, that is, in the direction indicated by the symbol C. Due to the high rigidity of the photographic paper, the reaction force thereof becomes larger than the load of the coil spring 712 that urges the separation assisting roller 711 toward the separation pad 73, so that the separation assisting roller 711 reacts with the reaction force of the recording paper PP. By
It is pushed up by the recording paper PP to the position retracted in the direction indicated by the symbol C.

As a result, a space is created between the recording paper PP and the separation pad 73 as shown in the drawing, and the recording paper P
With P and the separation surface of the separation pad 73 not in contact,
The recording paper PP is conveyed in the sub scanning direction Y. Therefore, the frictional resistance of the separation surface of the separation pad 73 does not act on the recording paper PP, and the recording paper PP comes into contact with only the separation auxiliary roller 711 that is rotatably supported by the driven auxiliary roller 711. Since the separation assisting roller 711 rotates following the conveyance of the recording paper PP, the back tension acting on the recording paper PP is only the substantially driven rotation resistance of the separation assisting roller 711 that is rotatably driven. Very few.

In this way, the photo paper (recording paper PP) is apt to slip between the peripheral surface of the transport drive roller 51.
In the above, it is possible to almost eliminate the possibility that the slippage reduces the conveyance accuracy and the recording image quality.

The invention of the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the invention of the present application. Needless to say.

[0047]

According to the present invention, in an automatic paper feeder having a separation assist roller, when recording is performed on a recording sheet such as a photo sheet having a low surface frictional resistance, the recording sheet being recorded is being recorded. The acting back tension can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of essential parts showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the vicinity of the automatic sheet feeder of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the vicinity of the automatic paper feeder of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which recording paper having low rigidity such as plain paper is fed to perform recording. It shows the state of being.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the vicinity of the automatic paper feeder of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which photographic paper having high rigidity and low surface friction resistance is fed to perform recording. This is a state in which it is operating.

[Explanation of symbols]

50 inkjet recording device 51 Transport drive roller 52 Transport driven roller 53 Platen 54 Paper ejection drive roller 55 Paper ejection driven roller 56 paper ejection frame 61 Carriage guide shaft 61S Sub carriage guide shaft 62 carriage 63 recording head 64 Recording paper detection sensor 70 paper tray 71 paper feed roller 711 Separation auxiliary roller 712 coil spring 72 hopper 73 Separation Pad 81 Output tray P Recording paper (plain paper) PP photo paper X main scanning direction Y sub-scanning direction

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hideyuki Kataoka             Seiko, 3-3-3 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture             -In Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 3F343 FA02 FB02 FB03 FC01 GA02                       GB01 GC01 GD02 HB03 HD03                       HD09 HD14 JA01 JD03 JD08                       JD39 KB05 LB08 LC05 LC11

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A paper feed tray capable of stacking a plurality of recording papers, and a substantially D-shaped cross-sectional shape in which a distance from a rotation center to a peripheral surface is different, and the drive rotation controllable in a paper feed direction. A paper feed roller axially supported on the downstream side of the paper feed tray in the paper feed direction, and a plurality of recording papers arranged at the bottom of the paper feed tray and stacked in the paper feed tray during a paper feed operation. A hopper that raises the surface of the recording paper to be fed at the highest position to the position where it abuts on the paper feeding roller and descends after the feeding operation is completed, and a separation having a friction resistance larger than the friction resistance between the recording papers. A separation pad having a surface, the separation surface being urged by the paper feed roller, the separation pad being provided at a position facing the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller, and being rotatable by the paper feed roller. The shaft is supported, and a gap is formed between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface. At the rotational position of the paper roller, while being urged by the separation pad, it can be retracted in a direction in which the separation pad is separated from the separation pad so as to close the gap between the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller and the separation surface. An automatic paper feeding device including a roller, the paper feeding device being provided on a downstream side of the paper feeding roller with respect to the paper feeding tray when performing recording on the recording surface of a recording paper having a predetermined rigidity. Depending on the angle of the paper path, the rigidity of the recording paper curved from the paper feed tray to the paper feed path causes the contact surface between the separation assist roller and the recording paper to move in a direction opposite to the urging force of the separation assist roller. An automatic paper feeding device, characterized in that a stress exceeding the urging force of (1) is generated and the separation assisting roller is retracted in the direction of separating from the separation pad by the stress. 2. The automatic paper feeder according to claim 1, wherein the recording paper having the predetermined rigidity has higher rigidity and lower surface frictional resistance than plain paper. 3. The photographic paper according to claim 2, wherein the recording paper having a predetermined rigidity has a coat layer on both sides of a base paper, and an ink absorbing layer on the coat layer on the recording surface.
An automatic paper feeder characterized by this. 4. A recording apparatus provided with the automatic paper feeding device according to claim 1. 5. The transport driving roller according to claim 4, which has a high frictional resistance coating on its peripheral surface, is rotatably supported in a predetermined recording sheet transport direction, and is urged by the transport driving roller. The recording paper fed from the automatic paper feeder is nipped by a conveyance driven roller that is rotatably driven, and the recording paper in the recording execution area is recorded by the drive rotation of the conveyance driving roller. A recording apparatus, comprising: a recording paper conveyance unit that conveys a predetermined amount in a paper conveyance direction.